USF basketball lands 7-3 center

TAMPA — USF men's basketball coach Stan Heath has picked up his second commitment toward his 2011-12 frontcourt, getting a pledge from Jordan Omogbehin, a 7-foot-3, 291-pound center from Nigeria who is playing at Atlantic Shores Christian in Chesapeake, Va.

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"I liked the whole program, the togetherness of the team and the coaching staff," said Omogbehin, 18, who visited USF's campus this past weekend.

Omogbehin, who came to the USF in January 2008, said he chose USF over Georgetown, Florida State and Marquette. The Bulls lose senior center Jarrid Famous after this season.

"He is a massive human being, so obviously he's going to take up a lot of space and demand a double-team," said Walt Webb, his coach at Atlantic Shores Christian. "He can score in the paint, he's very aggressive with rebounds, and most guys his size can't shoot free throws, but I'm confident he's going to finish at over 75 percent this season."

Omogbehin is the second big man to commit to USF this month, joining 6-10, 285-pound Andre Jackson of Lee College in Texas. That would account for all of the available scholarships for 2011-12, but Heath is continuing to recruit, anticipating either a player transferring or junior forward Augustus Gilchrist possibly leaving for the NBA after a strong season, as guard Dominique Jones did last spring.

Football: Miss. State on notice for cowbells

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State's cowbells are in jeopardy.

The SEC is poised to fine the school for violating the league's noisemaker policy related to the Bulldogs' tradition of ringing cowbells at games.

The issue was first addressed at the SEC's summer meetings. The conference made a one-year rule allowing Mississippi State fans to ring cowbells in dead ball situations like halftime, timeouts and after touchdowns.

But cowbells are easily heard during games, especially when opponents are on offense. Athletic director Scott Stricklin said fans must cooperate or cowbells could be banned.

Mississippi State hosts Kentucky on Saturday.

central michigan: The Mid-American Conference suspended defensive end Joe Kinville for Saturday's game against Bowling Green for striking a Northern Illinois player last week. Kinville apologized.

CINCINNATI: Quarterback Zach Collaros, who injured his knee on a late scramble against USF on Friday, is in doubt for Saturday's game against Syracuse. Collaros will practice today and be evaluated by coaches.

michigan state: Suspended defensive back Chris L. Rucker, jailed for violating probation, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving and is scheduled be released Thursday after serving eight days.

texas: Coach Mack Brown called out his players and assistant coaches Monday. The Longhorns have lost two in a row at home for the first time since 1997. "I do think there's some entitlement with this team. They sit around thinking it's just going to happen," Brown said. "They played hard, but I mean (play) with passion, fun and excitement. It's all about confidence and passion. I can handle a loss if we are playing with passion. I can't if we're not.'' Brown's initial postgame comments Saturday raised eyebrows when he said losing makes it difficult for him to trust that his assistant coaches are doing a good job.

ucla: Receiver Ricky Marvray and offensive tackle Sean Sheller, both starters, were suspended for violating the school drug policy rules. The Bruins host Arizona on Saturday. Receiver Josh Smith and tight end Morrell Presley can return after missing last week's loss at Oregon due to suspension.

Vanderbilt: Coach Robbie Caldwell promoted Des Kitchings to offensive coordinator and moved former coordinator Jimmy Kiser to handling the quarterbacks. The Commodores, who host UF on Nov. 6, rank 105th out of 120 teams in total offense (305.9 yards), scoring offense (18.9) and passing (159.6 yards).

washington: Quarterback Jake Locker said he will play Saturday against Stanford despite a thigh bruise and sore ribs that have limited what coach Steve Sarkisian can do with him.

AGENT UPDATE: Several groups are working with the NCAA to find new ways to enforce rules prohibiting improper agent-related benefits for student-athletes, including possible post-NCAA financial penalties that reach into a player's potential NFL career. The NFL, NFL Players Association and sports agents are among those involved in talks with the NCAA that have included various proposals. Chicago-based sports agent Rick Smith, a member of the NCAA panel, said Monday that while discussions are preliminary, new rules could be in place within three to five months. Such rules would likely be enforced primarily by the NFL and the players' union. "Something is going to happen," Smith said, "and it's going to happen quickly."

Information from Times wires was used in this report.

.Tonight

No. 2 Boise State vs. Louisiana Tech

When/where: 8, Bronco Stadium, Boise, Idaho

TV: ESPN2

Records: Boise State 6-0, 2-0 WAC; Louisiana Tech 3-4, 2-1

Notable: To avoid dropping in the BCS rankings, the Broncos need another lopsided win. They've won the past three by a combined 164-14. Louisiana Tech and its new spread offense looks to break an eight-game losing streak against the Broncos and stay in the top half of the conference standings.